Who else is excited for GCN+?

Thank you for sharing this link. It works fine even if it’s still called by the old subscription name.

@Pbase About the iPad app, it’s not enjoyable to use but if it’s for watching a race, zoom and full screen are okay. I watched it on a 12.9" iPad and the stream quality was pretty good.

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Just to chip in here - it does this for me on my iPad but if you expand the app and then select a video it plays the video full screen as if it were a native iPad app. It’s poor that the app itself isn’t iPad native but watching the videos looks perfect despite this.

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Thanks buddy. Will check back in a week or so.

Hit the arrow button on the bottom right and it will expand the screen. I use it on my ipad and it works fine. I had it hooked to my 50” tv and the quality was great.

The app itself is not iPad specific, but as others have said for watching races it works just fine. Same coverage as Eurosport in the UK but without the ads - which was superb, given Eurosport’s habit of chucking in some ad breaks at inopportune moments. I did notice a delay when watching on the desktop player vs the app (which is again slightly slower than on TV) - no big deal, but something to watch for when you’re in the finale and you’ve got twitter open too…

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I agree with all who have said how commercial GCN has become in the past few years.
It’s so oriented to endorsements now it’s cringe worthy and they must be alienating their original subscribers.
But clearly the business model is now focused on revenue and the growth of cycling I.e new comers to the sport.
The only hope is that the GCN+ revenue can help create original content that isn’t tied to yet further endorsements and commercial gain. Maybe wishful thinking?!
One great example of this commercial bias is the flogging of The Sufferfest and Zwift, both of which is obviously a result of big endorsements with over 2M subscribers. By signing these arrangements they can’t produce content that actively focuses on different indoor platforms with impartiality. I think I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve heard or seen a glimpse of TrainerRoad, which is a joke.
That said - in the UK the race coverage is great, free from these frustrations and well worth the subscription. Just don’t expect a lot else from the main channel.

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Signed up for GCN Race pass and cancelled my Flobikes. They have are only two one day classics and the Track Worlds that interest me, so there was no point in keeping it. OTOH, we just watched the Australian National championships on GCN+. So, lots more racing. It wasn’t about price; Flo just doesn’t have much this year.

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I think they’ve made reference to the fact that so far the content has relied heavily on sponsorship but to do this type of programming they need to change.

I’ll be signing up but like you I’m hoping the new features, films etc are not advertising vehicles for existing partner brands. (Or at least make impartial).

For me personally I watched and enjoyed a lot of the GCN content back in the day but drifted away as I felt it went a bit gimmicky. Emma Pooley clearly had issues with the need to promote products (I believe). I’ve had the free app for a little while but do forget it from time to time (it also seems slow) but I do watch a lot of the YouTube content on my tv (Not had a smart tv long) so that I enjoy.

I think Dan Lloyd and Simon Richardson are excellent but I do think they need more quality presenters to make this work. However I do wonder if they aren’t having to flog products so much they can focus on the content. Hope so!

They said all of the GCN+ content will be “ad-free”. I guess it’s a bit up for interpretation what exactly that means. Could be no ad breaks, like Racepass vs Eurosport (TV-edition). Or (hopefully) no sponsored content at all.

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My problem the biggest draw for me for this would be TDF… and Giro… as live, high lights and View on Demand, and well TDF is just high lights… so there goes the drive.

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You could just get yourself a decent VPN for a month. They cost like 5$ for 30 days. would be enough to watch the tour.

I know… and that might be what I end doing… but maybe, just maybe enough people comment to GCN you missing the biggest race of the year… the biggest draw… and just maybe in a world full of sunshine they decide to do something about it :wink:

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Oh I’m sure they are aware lol. I’d guess they tried to throw some millions at NBC or whoever has the broadcasting rights at the moment. It’s a tricky market. I’m sure sooner or later Discovery/GCN will own them all, as that was their declared goal.

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I’ve been watching GCN on and off for ~3 years - it’s been one source for the cycling related content I usually watch when on the turbo. Up until Race Pass, none of the GCN content was good enough IMO to warrant watching off the turbo when on the sofa…

Race-coverage aside, I now hardly watch any of it, even on the turbo, because besides the weekly news & race roundup programs hosted by Dan Lloyd and Simon Richardson, the bulk of the rest is sh!te IMO. It’s not just the ridiculous commercial sponsorship aspect that insults viewers’ intelligence, but the overall formulaic and patronising style. :facepunch: Count me unimpressed. :wink:

I’ve subscribed to the Race Pass since it launched last summer and I’m super happy with the race coverage, and hope they can improve the app which still needs work. Content-wise, though, it’s been great in the UK. At the half-price intro rate, it’s a bargain; at the current full price it’s still decent value for me so I would resubscribe for race coverage if the price remains attractive.

My expectations are suitably low that the new documentary content will impress, but we shall see. Ideally, I’d prefer to be paying only for the stuff I’m interested in - subscribe to just race content - and not be subsidising the rest of it…

I thought the point of racepass was to provide ad free racing content and so isn’t ‘subsidising the rest of it’, which is still funded by all that commercial sponsorship? Either way I’m happy to continue with the subscription. Shame they still don’t have an apple tv app though.

I had re-upped to FLO back in the fall when racing started again…had assumed they would keep the Giro in 2021.

They still have Flanders and some of the Belgian semi- classics…I’ll see how the rest of the year goes, but resubscribing in the fall is not looking too likely.

FLO or GCN better?

From a quality of coverage perspective, I’d say they are pretty even. From what little I have seen so far on GCN, it is a similar model to FLO…using the feed from other sources and rebroadcasting it to their subscribers. The Tour de la Provence yesterday seemed to be using the Eurosport feed and FLO often used the Fubo feed. I know GCN uses some o their own talent for the cross races they have broadcast, though.

From a quantity of races perspective, GCN wins hands down, even in the US. It is a steal for $25…I probably would have gladly paid $100 for a year. They are leaving money in the table at $25, IMO.

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Since GCN and Eurosport are the same company now, what you see on GCN+ is the same you would see on Eurosport. I think all of their commentators are excellent. Especially Carlton Kirby is an absolute legend.

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Thanks for your feedback, ill purchase. I have nbc right now